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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29865960">Silent Friendship</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkymaniOfLabrynna/pseuds/SkymaniOfLabrynna'>SkymaniOfLabrynna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Baked Goods, Blood and Injury, Cake, Daddy Issues, High School, Loneliness, Pie, selective mutism</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:20:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,928</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29865960</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkymaniOfLabrynna/pseuds/SkymaniOfLabrynna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I thought it was a little weird how that guy was always alone. I mean, he transitioned in the middle of the fall and even now, in the spring, he hadn’t spoken a word to anyone. Not even teachers. He seemed like he was trying to blend into the background, but once you noticed him he stuck out like a sore thumb.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cancer Radner &amp; Lucas Radner, Lucas Radner/Michelle Radner, Tabitha Parks &amp; Cancer Radner, Tabitha Parks &amp; Melody Locklear</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Preview</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I thought it was a little weird how that guy was always alone. I mean, he transitioned in the middle of the fall and even now, in the spring, he hadn’t spoken a word to anyone. Not even teachers. He seemed like he was trying to blend into the background, but once you noticed him he stuck out like a sore thumb. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Tell me if I should rewrite it or post what I have so far and extend the rest of the story. Enjoy.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Cut Down Version</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tabitha likes to keep notes of random people in her school. While observing just another random person, something seems off about him compared to everyone else.</p><p> </p><p>This is a cut down version of the one I plan to write later, also my first draft.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I thought it was a little weird how that guy was always alone. I mean, he transitioned in the middle of the fall and even now, in the spring, he hadn’t spoken a word to anyone. Not even teachers. He seemed like he was trying to blend into the background, but once you noticed him he stuck out like a sore thumb. He was the only person in the school besides the troublemakers that wore a hat. There were rules against it, and yet no teachers confronted him about taking it off. He only existed to everyone when his name was called in role, but aside from that he was a shadow. </p><p>I’d been watching this guy for about a week, wondering what his motivation was to stay so quiet. If I were ignored that much, I might start losing my sanity. I’d never understand introverts. </p><p>-</p><p>A couple of weeks later I decided to make this guy lunch. Nothing too special, just a family recipe for pie that my mother had taught me a couple years back. I had a thought, maybe this guy wasn’t quiet because he wanted to. The thought of somebody being so lonely that people don’t know you exist until your name popped up sometime made me sad.</p><p>Of course, there was the possibility that he wasn’t lonely and would resent me forever for drawing attention to him, but I was willing to take that chance. As I entered the cafeteria after finally managing to escape from a hellish substitute for Chemistry and squeeze my way through the tightly packed corridors, I scanned the room for him. </p><p>“A present? For moi?” Somebody grabbed my pie right out of my hands. I turned around almost expecting one of the troublemakers to be there, demanding for “lunch money” in exchange for my gift back, but then I recognized my best friend’s voice. Melody stuck out her tongue and playfully shoved me before handing the package back.</p><p>“What’s in here? You don’t usually bring your stuff from home.” </p><p>“Oh, uh…” I scanned the room again, no luck. “It’s just a pie.”</p><p>“A pie?” Melody gave me a strange look. She’d probably figured it out already. Her expression faded into a sarcastic smirk. “Oooh, a special occasion? Or perhaps…”</p><p>She put a hand to her mouth and began twirling around me, her shoulders moving as she giggled. “Maybe little Tabby finally got a date! Who’s the lucky person? Did they give you that pie or are you going to give it to them?!” She finally stopped dancing around me and put her hands on my shoulders, her dreamy expression fading into that of a stone cold seriousness in half a second. By then, people had started gathering around, and I could feel myself start to heat up.</p><p>“If this person rejects you or treats you badly, I shall make them pay,” she said in total and absolute seriousness.</p><p>I coerced her off of me carefully while motioning for her to calm down. “No, it’s not like that-”</p><p>“That’s what they all say,” she giggled.</p><p>I sighed and looked away. “He just looked a little lonely, that’s all.” My eyes wandered to a small corner of the cafeteria, to where a familiar and yet still mysterious person stood, trying his best to blend in with the crowd. Target acquired. </p><p>--</p><p>I don’t remember the last time I’d talked to someone at school. I’ve always kept my distance, played it cool while staying under the radar of anyone looking for trouble. I’ve been quiet ever since I first started going to school, but I only really started trying to be unseen around maybe fourth or fifth grade. That was when my dad...he…</p><p>Ah, well, I thought I’d been flying smoothly under the radar. That was until some girl came up to me and handed me a box, which turned out to be a pie. It was crafted with care and looked like it could’ve been store bought, or maybe it came from a bakery. My gut told me that wasn’t the case though. Why would my gut tell me that? Who knew.<br/>At first, I thought that maybe the girl was being nice and giving homemade pies to people at random. Until the second pie came. And the third. And the fourth. And, so on. As much as I tried to look into this girl, I couldn’t ever find her giving anything similar to anyone else.</p><p>-</p><p>I’d probably been receiving pies once or twice a week for three weeks when a new semester brought upon a new schedule. I’d been moved to a new chemistry class with a teacher who had recently been hired, who with the turn of a new semester was allowed to take a small number of students from the other chemistry classes to make up her own.</p><p>On the first day, I squeezed through the door quietly and began to take a seat toward the back, but not in the very back. The people in the back, unlike what most people would think, got a little bit more attention than the one or two rows ahead of them. As I was walking through the aisle, I saw the pie girl sitting on one of the desks, chatting away with who I assumed to be her friends. She didn’t seem to notice me. </p><p>Out of curiosity, I decided to ditch the idea of sitting in the back and took the seat behind her. I took a sheet of paper out from the binder I kept at my side and began to doodle idly while I eavesdropped on the conversation.</p><p>“-no, I think I’d probably prefer the lava cake than that. But if I could get both, I just might die.” One of the girls flocking around the desk began fanning her face for some unknown reason.</p><p>Another one of the girls piped up after her. “Yeah, but if you put marshmallows and nuts in a crepe. Have you ever tried that?”</p><p>“No,” the first girl responded, “I’m allergic to a bunch of types of nuts. Without the nuts, crepes are good.”</p><p>“You poor thing.” The girl who was sitting on pie-girl’s lap began to stroke the nut-allergy girl’s hair. She turned to pie girl while continuing to pet the other girl like she was a dog. “What would you choose, Tabby?”</p><p>Pie-girl looked up with a look of concentration on her face. “Hmm,” she sighed. “Oh, you know what? Sponge cake. I really like sponge cake. If you gave me triple layer strawberry sponge cake, I probably wouldn’t be able to stop myself from eating it all.”</p><p>Their conversation faded into the background. I made a small note in the corner of my paper, which was now filled with a collection of circles, swirls, and some blobs that could resemble something if you squinted at it hard enough. I thought about my kitchen at home. My mom just so happened to pick up cooking as a temporary hobby some time ago. We’d been having guests for several weeks at a time, and she had to feed them somehow, so instead of constantly going out to eat, she decided to learn how to cook. Because of that, we had plenty of ingredients left over in the kitchen, probably more than enough to make sponge cake.</p><p>-</p><p>That night as I arrived home, I looked up sponge cake recipes and went on a scavenger hunt. It took a good forty five minutes to find everything I needed, but eventually I found it all. It was about time I thanked pie-girl for her strange gifts, and I didn’t even have to do it with words.</p><p>--</p><p>I considered the first time giving the mysterious guy pie a success. He didn’t say anything and looked pretty confused, but he accepted it and didn’t give me any glares afterward, just a couple confused glances every now and again from across the cafeteria. </p><p>He didn’t complain after I started bringing more pie, in fact, he seemed almost friendly. We still hadn’t spoken at all, but he definitely didn’t seem to mind getting a free lunch. Sometimes, he’d even crack a smile in my direction. Those times were the best times, the times where I knew I made someone else’s day just a little bit better.</p><p>I entered the cafeteria this day expecting it to be no different. I’d give him the pie, he’d nod or smile, and we’d go our separate ways. However, when I got to where he was sitting this time, he was holding a bag. Normally, he’d either be empty handed or have one of the nasty school offered lunches. It didn’t really catch my attention until I gave him the pie, and he waved the bag in my direction.</p><p>“Uhh, what?” I said, caught off guard. He waved the bag around a little more, then placed the thin yarn handles in my open palm. I stared at it for a couple of seconds, still slightly confused. Pulling the yarn handles apart, I peered inside. There was a food container inside, but the glare of the lights was too strong to see what it was. I looked back up at him. He seemed slightly anxious. “Uh, this is for me?” I asked. He nodded. “Well, uh, thank you. See you.” I stood awkwardly for a moment before heading back to where the girls were stationed, trying to shrug off the embarrassment of having no clue what’s going on. </p><p>“Oh my god, Tabby, was your love and affection finally reciprocated?!” Before I knew she was there, Melody was shaking my shoulders and pointing at my bag. </p><p>“I told you it’s not like that!” I squeaked, starting to feel dizzy from having my head and shoulders jerked so violently and so quickly. She finally let me go and we took a seat at the table. I pulled the container out of the bag and popped the lid open carefully.</p><p>A bunch of the girls gasped and cooed at the small, snack sized cake that sat on the table. They started calling out things along the lines of ‘oooh Tabby’s got a date’ or ‘you caught a big fish.’ I ignored them and ripped open a spork to have a taste. Honestly, it tasted like heaven in a bite. Who knew the quiet kid I’d been giving pie to for just under a month would be a great baker?</p><p>-</p><p>Just like I’d started giving pie to him regularly, he started delivering sponge cake. It became a scheduled thing. Every Monday and Thursday we’d exchange baked goods, and then go on with our days, but happier. It was kinda like a secret friendship that nobody really fully knew about. Neither of us spoke or anything, but we both became happier on trade days.</p><p>On one hand, I started seeing him like a close friend. I mean, who gives and takes gifts that take so long to make with someone they don’t share a close bond with? <br/>On the other hand though, I didn’t even know his name. All I knew was that he liked pie, was super quiet, and knew how to make sponge cake really well.</p><p>-</p><p>That morning, I decided to go on a hike in one of the more rural parts of town. There were less people. I know, I’m an extrovert and I love to be around people, but even I need my breaks. I thought that a nice hike would serve my mood and my body well.</p><p>I was following a trail that led from the town park into a wood. The path was sort of narrow, but wide enough that I knew what was path and what was not. That was, until the path split. I decided to take the path that looked wider, but before I knew it, I wasn’t on the path anymore. It disappeared without a trace. I found myself lost and resorted to trying to figure out which direction the distant sound of cars came from.</p><p>I gave a sigh and flopped on the ground, pulling out my phone to use gps. I pulled up a navigator app and waited for it to load. It probably took only a minute, but it was a pure minute of agony. I was lost, hot, sweaty, tired, and was starting to want to go back home. The map pulled up and showed me to be far south of where the trail was supposed to end.</p><p>My heart dropped as I looked at the corner of the screen, where the percentage of battery was visible.</p><p>“T-two percent?” I whispered in horror to myself. My heartrate spiked and I leapt to my feet. The realization had set in. I’d forgotten to charge my phone the night before, and not even realized it before I was lost in the woods. I inhaled and exhaled deeply to try to calm myself down, but wasn’t able to stop myself from shaking. “I’m such an idiot!” I yelled to the sky.</p><p>I sighed and looked back down at my phone. I was only able to read the percentage one last time before it shut off for good. I cursed under my breath and continued to follow cars by ear. I could hear them getting closer, which was a good sign. </p><p>Occasionally along the way, I swore I could hear footsteps somewhere near me, but whenever I stopped walking to listen, I couldn’t hear anything anymore. </p><p>“Great, now I’m hallucinating. Just peachy,” I sarcastically mumbled to nobody. I rubbed the sweat off of my eyebrows and continued to walk. The cars were still pretty far away, I hadn’t made very much progress in the past couple of minutes. I slumped to the ground against a tree, giving in to the tired protests of my legs.</p><p>This time, the footsteps around me didn’t stop. They were quiet, but they were definitely there. I looked around, but couldn’t see anything. I tried my best to muster the courage to shout at whoever decided it would be funny to stalk a high school girl in the woods.</p><p>I put a hand on the rough bark of the tree and hoisted myself back up and looked around again. Still, nothing. The footsteps persisted. I inhaled deeply.</p><p>“Who’s there?!” I waited for someone to answer. Anyone. Anything. The pace of the footsteps wavered but continued. The moment I saw its face, I knew I was in for a lot more trouble than I thought. Right as I was able to see its face, some kind of big cat leapt from the shrubbery just a few feet away from me and was digging its fangs into my leg. I screamed even though I couldn’t feel anything. </p><p>As I attempted to tear my leg away from the big cat’s claws and teeth, I heard something behind me. Someone jumped onto the cat from above my head and swung at its head with a long, thick tree branch. It hissed and let go of my leg, but by then the blood loss was beginning to have effects on my ability to perceive. </p><p>Just before I blacked out, I thought I saw a portion of a slightly familiar face.</p><p>-</p><p>The first thing I felt when I came to was pain. Fiery, burning, horrible pain that shot from my leg up my spine that seemed to stab my soul. I couldn’t see very well, but I could hear someone talking. I listened to the best of my ability.</p><p>“-yea, I put th..bandages...there weren’t enough for the...hol...bobcat is ru...” was all I could catch. I groaned in pain, gripping my hands. I was holding onto something soft, but I really couldn’t tell what it was. I was still unable to see.</p><p>Something cold and wet was put on my forehead, making me gasp. It was slightly shocking, but at least now I could see. Someone was standing over me with a phone to their ear. </p><p>“Hold on mom, I think she’s awake.” They put the phone down and kneeled to be closer to my level, wherever I was. “Are you okay?”</p><p>I could recognize them now. It was that guy I formed a silent pie giving relationship with. What was he doing here?</p><p>“Oh, uh, yea. I mean! No, no I’m not.” I corrected myself. I winced, which caused me to twitch, which caused even more pain to shoot up my leg, which caused me to wince even more. A hand was placed on my stomach, somehow calming me down significantly. Through the confusion of the pain, I managed to comprehend a couple things.</p><p>I was lost in the woods and was followed and attacked by a bobcat, and the loner guy from school beat the bobcat with a branch and carried me somewhere. Looking around, I guessed that I was probably inside of his house.</p><p>“...I’m Tabitha.” I said, surprising both him and myself.</p><p>“Oh.” He responded quietly. “It’s nice to put a name to a face. I’m Cancer.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This might take a while. Or I might not even finish, who knows.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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